Yang Xin listened to the young mistress's words without feeling excited—only impulsive.
Wait, young mistress, what do you mean by that?
Their supermarket chain had just started. The four stores across three counties and one town had only recently opened, and their accounts were still burdened with millions in unpaid supplier debts. Now, suddenly, she wanted to build a shopping plaza?
Was she trying to kill them?
Even if they sold him off, they wouldn’t be able to scrape together enough money for a shopping plaza!
Was she planning to pull another "empty-handed trick" again?
Liu Yutong looked at Yang Xin’s flushed face, puzzled. "Yang Xin, why is your face so red? What do you think of what I just said?"
Yang Xin seemed to steel himself, gritting his teeth before replying, "Young mistress, I’ll go notify Brother Ma right away and have him look into the whereabouts of the Wanda Plaza owner."
Aside from replicating the model they used in Wushui County—essentially taking over businesses by force, which meant roughing up the owners and sending them to prison—he couldn’t think of any other way to build a commercial plaza requiring at least 500 million, possibly even over a billion, in such a short time.
Liu Yutong: "???"
"Yun Cheng, did you understand what he just said?"
Yun Cheng nodded solemnly. "Young mistress, just give the order, and we’ll carry it out."
Clearly, he had grasped Yang Xin’s implication.
Liu Yutong glanced between Yang Xin and Yun Cheng, even more confused now. "What did I even say? I was just asking whether we could establish a Wanlong Plaza next year and wanted to hear Yang Xin’s opinion. Why are you all so serious? You’re acting like we’re about to go kill someone."
Yun Cheng thought to himself: Isn’t that exactly what we’re doing?
Yang Xin spoke up, "Young mistress, our Wanlong Supermarket hasn’t built up much reputation yet. If we take too big a step too soon, it could backfire."
"From what I know, many supermarket chains are already expanding into Bright Pearl City, and some are even planning to build commercial plazas. We might not be able to compete with them."
"Not that I’m saying we lack confidence, but at this stage, we definitely can’t match these large chains. We don’t have their financial backing or resources..."
Yang Xin laid out a detailed analysis of the current situation, weighing the pros and cons. No matter which angle he considered, the conclusion was far from optimistic.
If he had to put a number on it, the chance of failure was at least 80%.
Liu Yutong listened quietly to his breakdown before responding, "I’m aware of all this. But if Wanlong Supermarket wants to establish itself as a well-known brand in this region, we must have our own high-end commercial complex."
"If we’re content with just running a few small supermarkets and making modest profits, then sure, there’s no need to venture into shopping plazas. But have you considered this? In ten years—maybe even less—the retail industry could undergo a massive transformation. If we don’t build a strong brand, we’ll be swept away by the tide."
"So, this is something we must do. There’s no other choice!"
"Also, you and Yun Cheng know exactly how many employees and brothers we have in this company. When that day comes, I can’t just abandon them all, can I?"
Yang Xin fell silent. Of course, he understood.
As someone who had spent years in the supermarket industry, his judgment of market trends was sharp.
In recent years, the retail sector had evolved at a breakneck pace. Major supermarket brands, including international ones, were flooding into the vast market of the Dragon Nation, scrambling for market share.
E-commerce was also rising rapidly. He had a gut feeling that online shopping would eventually deal a fatal blow to brick-and-mortar retail.
By then, even some large supermarket chains might struggle to survive.
Of course, it was still too early to worry about that—at least for the next three to five years, e-commerce wouldn’t hit them that hard.
But the future was unpredictable.
From the very beginning, the young mistress had made her stance clear: physical retail would be Wanlong’s main focus, with online shopping serving only as a supplement.
Honestly, when Yang Xin first heard her say that, he thought she had no idea how to run a business.
Many retail brands were already shifting their focus to online platforms. Within a couple of years, e-commerce platforms would be everywhere.
The transition from offline to online was an inevitable trend.
Yet the young mistress was going against the current, insisting on prioritizing physical stores. He couldn’t wrap his head around her reasoning.
Yun Cheng, however, had a completely different reaction to Liu Yutong’s words. He was deeply moved.
Having come from the streets, he valued loyalty above all else. Back when the Yilian Society collapsed, he could have easily walked away alone. The only reason he took Ma Da and the others with him was because he couldn’t bear to abandon the bonds they shared.
The young mistress’s words resonated with him perfectly.
She truly cared about all their brothers, even choosing the toughest path in business for their sake.
From Yang Xin’s analysis, he could tell that focusing heavily on physical retail would likely be an uphill battle in the future—possibly even a losing one.
Yet the young mistress was determined to proceed. What did that say?
It meant her sense of loyalty was just as strong as theirs.
At this moment, Yun Cheng truly felt that he and his brothers were incredibly lucky to have such a remarkable young mistress.
Secretly, he resolved to discuss with Ma Da later and see if they could "arrange" a meeting with the owner of Wanda Plaza. That way, the young mistress wouldn’t have to worry about funding anymore.
If things went south, they could always draw lots to decide who took the fall.
If Liu Yutong knew what Yun Cheng was thinking, she’d probably—well, never mind. She couldn’t beat him anyway.
"Yang Xin, how’s the progress on the supermarket renovation near the university district? When will it be ready?" Liu Yutong changed the subject, inquiring about the store’s refurbishment.
"At the current pace, it should open by mid-to-late November."
"That’s too slow. I want it operational within a month. Tell the contractors to speed up—pay them extra if needed."
"Understood, young mistress."
"Also, I need you to visit a place for a survey soon."
"Where?"
"H Province, XC City."
A flicker of confusion passed through Yang Xin’s eyes, but he nodded. "Got it."
With that, the topic was dropped.
Shortly after, Liu Yutong, Yun Cheng, and Yang Xin arrived at the current office of the Wanlong Society.
The office was located on the second floor of the university district’s food street, diagonally opposite the Finance University. After a simple renovation, it was now fully functional.
Next to the Wanlong Society’s office was a law firm—Tianyi Law Firm.
Typically, law firms were set up in CBD areas or commercial buildings near courthouses. But opening one in a food street? This was probably a first.
What made it even more interesting was the firm’s peculiar layout.
In addition to the regular office spaces, there were also two large classrooms whose purpose remained a complete mystery to most people.
